Black Country Pathology Services

Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) was formed as a partnership by the four acute trusts in the Black Country – The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, and Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

BCPS serves 1.76 million patients and conducts 60 million tests. This partnership has led to over 27,000 more community phlebotomy appointments, as well as improved turnaround times, better access and workflows.

This collaboration means that there are unique opportunities for work, as well as a highly supportive training and development network.

Roles include:

• Medical laboratory assistants
• Biomedical scientists
• Clinical scientists

Students who are interested in completing a biomedical science degree are encouraged to look at universities such as Wolverhampton, Aston, Coventry, and Keele – which are all based in the Midlands.

Studying at one of these universities allows the opportunity to do a voluntary placement year in an NHS laboratory. This is a great opportunity which is incredibly competitive – there are often only around 30 places within the region.

The placement year provides the chance to work in a real laboratory, as well as learning vital information through a course of workshops.

Completing this allows you to leave university and register immediately for the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), to start your career as a biomedical scientist.

If you don’t complete a placement year, you will need to create a portfolio after leaving university. This means you can start your career as a trainee biomedical scientist and complete this as you work.

• Completing a placement year allows you to step straight into a biomedical scientist role
• Any laboratory experience you can undertake is useful
• Being geographically flexible will provide more opportunities for employment

To find out more about their work, visit Black Country Pathology Services.